Increase in Alcohol Use, High-Risk Drinking in U.S. Adults

Last Updated: August 10, 2017.
From 2001-2002 to 2012-2013 there was an increase in alcohol use, high-risk drinking, and in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition alcohol use disorder, according to a study published online Aug. 9 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Increases were greatest among women; older adults; racial/ethnic minorities; less educated, lower income

THURSDAY, Aug. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- From 2001-2002 to 2012-2013 there was an increase in alcohol use, high-risk drinking, and in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a study published online Aug. 9 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Bridget F. Grant, Ph.D., from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Rockville, Md., and colleagues collected data from face-to-face interviews of U.S. adults to examine the changes in alcohol use behaviors between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. Data were included for 43,093 participants in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions and for 36,309 participants in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III.

The researchers observed increases of 11.2, 29.9, and 49.4 percent in 12-month alcohol use, high-risk drinking, and DSM-IV AUD, respectively, between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. Increases in alcohol use, high-risk drinking, and DSM-IV AUD were statistically significant across sociodemographic groups with few exceptions. The greatest increases were seen among women, older adults, racial/ethnic minorities, and individuals with lower educational level and family income. For the total sample and most sociodemographic subgroups, increases were also seen in the prevalence of 12-month DSM-IV AUD among 12-month alcohol users (from 12.9 to 17.5 percent) and among 12-month high-risk drinkers (from 46.5 to 54.5 percent).

"These findings portend increases in many chronic comorbidities in which alcohol use has a substantial role," the authors write.